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Help!! I"m trying to purchase a travel trailer and have been researching online and looking at a few. Private party and dealerships. Some private sellers aren't agreeable to RV inspections cause their trailers are practically new. I bought a Chevy Silverado 1500 that has extras that make my towable capabilities more. I would like to try and stay under 30ft. I like the floor plan of the Coachmen Freedom express 248rbs because it has all the things I want and an outdoor kitchen. The quality?? Some of the other brands seem to feel more solid like Jayco and StarCraft Launch but I have to be careful about the weight. I don't want to go over 7000lbs. Can anybody offer some advice and encouragement.

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We started out w/ a bumper pull, but now have a fiver. I'd suggest many of the popular brands for sale have "owner's groups" similar to on here. If you're looking at certain brands, explore them. Understand MANY brands have changed mfr's hands several times, and a particular "whatever 32" may have quality fall off a cliff at a certain production year. Caveat emptor!

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I agree with ARGO, "Caveat emptor!", about the best way to go with buying from a dealership is to read reviews of that dealership and see what kind of customer service they give as far as resolving issues with the trailer and working with both yourself and the manufacturer. Also watch for extended amounts of time that it takes the dealer to get the trailer in and out of the shop. All the manufacturers that you have mentioned are about the same when it comes to quality, and quality can be "hit or miss" with some units being great and others poor. If you go to the owner's forums (google them), watch for the same issues recurring again and again as those are the ones to be most concerned about. Some owners simply cause their own issues by not doing required maintenance or simply not realizing the limits of the trailer like overloading it. In a private sale, if the owner doesn't want it inspected, walk away. Also, read, read, read, so that when you shop, you can seem like you really know what you are doing so someone doesn't try to take advantage of you as they will do it in a second!

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Some private sellers aren't agreeable to RV inspections cause their trailers are practically new

This would be a red flag and I would not even bother with them. If their unit is so great what are they afraid of? When I hear this I always think that the inspector will discover they had a major water leak that will cause a soft floor or wall problems in the future.

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Welcome to the Escapee forums. We are here to help so don't hesitate to ask as may questions as you like.

On your selected trailer, if you want to stay under 7000# this isn't the one for you as it looks to be 7,500# when loaded by doing the math.

Quote

SPECIFICATIONS

Hitch Weight: 728 lb.

GVWR: TBD

UVW 5574 lb.

CCC 1926 lb.

Exterior Length: 28' 11"

Exterior Height: 10' 9"

Exterior Width: 96"

Fresh Water: 49 gal.

Gray Water: 33 gal.

Black Water 33 gal.

Awning Size: 16'

If you add the UVW and the CCC you get 7,500# and that may not include everything since they don't choose to say what the gross weight is. How well this RV will serve you is partially determined by how you intend to use it, which you haven't shared with us. If you are thinking of fulltime living in it, this may not be your best choice. Most ultra-lite weight RVs are not well insulated in the effort to save weight. When using the RV year around you will probably at least occasionally experience temperatures below freezing at least in the nights so it is important that the water lines all be protected from the cold and that the underbelly be covered and insulated for fulltime use. Most ultra-lite trailers are not that way, so be sure to check these things if you plan any use in cold weather. We have wintered in most of the southern states and I believe that the only place we spent a winter and had no night temperatures below freezing would be south FL.

You might find it very educational and helpful if you join the RV Consumer Group to get the information that they share with new members. All of this is based on the Coachman/Freedom Express website so a used one may be somewhat different. I would never reccommend a purchase from a private citizen or a used RV from a dealer if they refuse to allow you to have it professionally inspected before purchase. Why would either one refuse unless they know that it will not pass inspection?

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I like the floor plan and the tank capacities but not the lack of kitchen counter space. I don't know anything about the brand quality but, like Kirk said, ultralights rarely do well as full time rigs.

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Another thought, who told you that the "extras" would give you more towing capacity? This website has some really good info about understanding RV weights and many things RV related: http://changingears.com/

What business is it of theirs if YOU are paying for the inspection? I didn't have my used TT inspected, but I also bought from a reputable, family owned dealership, who gave us a 90 day warranty - and they already gave us a new radio, which was the only thing they said they found that didn't work. They also spent the better part of 2 hours giving us a thorough walk-through, testing every system in front of us. No way would I buy from a private seller who didn't agree to an inspection.

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You didn't say what year your Silverado is, and towing capabilities vary year by year. I'd suggest that you fill the truck's gas tank, put everything into the truck that you will have with you when towing, and get the truck weighed, each axle separately. Now you have some real numbers to work with.

Somewhere on the door or door frame will be a sticker with weights on it. Since I don't know your numbers, I'm going to just use a few as an example. Put in your own real numbers and you will have a real answer. Suppose your truck has a Gross Axle Weight Rating for the rear axle of 5500 pounds, and your weighing shows that you have 4000 pounds already on the rear axle. That means that you can carry and additional 1500 pounds on that axle. Suppose your truck weighs 6000 pounds as you have it loaded, ready to tow, and it has a Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating of 13,000 pounds. That means that your trailer, fully loaded, can't weigh more than 7000 pounds.

Sales people will often point out the EMPTY (DRY) weight, when you ought to be more interested in the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (the maximum your trailer should weigh when loaded for travel). The other number you really need to pay attention to is the difference between GVWR and empty (dry) weight. That difference is what you can safely carry, and includes everything you put into and onto the trailer. Some companies include the weight of the battery(ies) and propane in the empty weight; others don't.

The exercise I outline above will help you figure out the weight of the trailer you can safely tow. Many people actually suggest that you not bump up against any of the weight limits, just to allow a safety margin. Others say that margin is already built in. Make your own choice.

Pay attention to tank sizes as well. Some rigs have pretty small tanks, as they are intended for mainly weekend use or to be used at parks with full hookups.

Spend a LOT of time in research and asking lots of questions. The sales person's job is to sell something to you, not to put you in the RIGHT rig.

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Depending on what year and what motor you have. The last two Chevy 1500 I have had had a 6.0 gas and a 6.2 gas and a heavy duty rear axle towed a 33 ft Salem fine on the flats of Illinois but not that great in big hills or mountains, and it seems no mater what you tow behind it your lucky to get 8 mpg on either motor